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Friday, February 28, 2014

Hello All,Today marks the 2nd anniversary of House by Holly. It has been an awesome ride and many thanks to you, my readers, for your support!
Are you on Pinterest or Houzz? Talk about the ultimate search engines loaded with inspiration for any project you have in mind. If your anything like me you have been perusing the master closets with all the custom shelving... Perfection.The reality: Since the moment my husband and I closed on this house almost 10 years ago, I couldn't help not loving this master closet. The builder did not utilize the tall ceilings with more storage solutions. I always felt there could have been a more efficient way to place the white wire shelving to create more room for clothes and other items. And the look of custom furniture in a closet is, well... magnificent.
I have been left always wondering .. Where's the beef?Today, I am sharing an easy way you can add sophistication and organization to your closet, yourself. That's right, get ready for the new you... (really the new me, but hopefully you are inspired to do your closet too.) ;)

Mr. House and I found this closet system at a local hardware store for $390. We bought two.

You can purchase the closet system like this one, or you can buy individual pieces and build your own. We bought the complete system and then added on a few more pieces to customize our look.

Here's the before..

Say what?!

I don't even know what to say...how could I have lived like this for so long?

What's the 'misters' opinion, you ask?

much of the same... It's a damn shame all this closet and no bangs or thrills.

We started by clearing everything out. Then I took the shelving down.

I pryed the nail out with a flat screwdriver which made the process so much easier.

Good bye ugly wire shelving!

Mr. House came in next to patch the holes.

Yes, there were a lot of them...

I let the patch dry for the rest of the day and the next morning I sanded it down.

Then I painted the walls in Benjamin Moore -Stone Hearth.

While I was painting, Mr. House started assembling the new closet furniture..

And after we moved in..

Even Mr. House is happy.

The Truth: I have to admit, this project forced the mister and I to make some tough decisions about 'what to keep' and 'what not to keep'. We donated about 7 trash bags of clothes...Hallelujah, did that feel good!We now have an organized, visual pleasing place for our things. We are also considering adding on to the closet system more with another shelf above the expandable poles. My 7 tips to a better closet (you)..1. Create an efficient way to store shoes and keep them off the floor.

2. Place an over the door hook on the door so you can lay out special outfits for the next day or a special occasion.

3. Find a unique way to show-case your jewelry.

You can find my earring, bracelet and necklace stand at the top of this page on the right.4. Roll magazines and slide them in your boots to get your boots to stand up straight so they don't lose their shape.

5. Create a place to sit down and put your shoes on.

6. Consider folding sweaters on a shelf to create more room for your clothes.

For more inspirational and organization ideas check out my Pinterest board for Master Closets.Who doesn't love the look of a custom closet? While it is an investment, it can only add value to our house, right? What do you think?From my House to your House, Happy Hunting!Let's Connect!

Sunday, February 9, 2014

The National Day of Love is around the corner.. have you planned your heart attack? (Get it?)

We celebrate by making valentines for our friends and family, decorating our tree of love and make some fun heart shaped sugar cookies together. These are just a few of the traditions we do and I hope my kiddos hold them close to their heart and share with their own families some day.

Spread the love:Today I am sharing our Tree of Love with a tutorial.

This tree has been used in our house for Valentines, Easter, Halloween, Whatever.. by changing out the pail at the bottom and the ornaments, the possibilities are endless. And with this baby on the table, it's a constant reminder of what the little hands of love did to make it so pretty. It instantly makes me smile.

Step 1. Purchase a tree branch, green moss, and a piece of floral foam from your local craft store.

Step 2. Find a small pail or basket for your tree.

Step 3. Assemble the floral foam and tree together in the bucket. You can place a couple of rocks inside on top to give it some weight.

Step 4. Add the green moss to the top.

Step 5. Have fun decorating your tree of love! You can use anything from scrapbook paper, colored paper, tissue paper, glitter, pom poms, etc. You can even write out all the names of your family.Get the whole family involved!

Fact: This tree was given to my mom 20+ years ago after a celebration in her life. Her co-workers and friends tied money around the branches to wish her good luck in her celebration. I always thought that was such a cool idea-- a money tree. Who'd have thought this little branch would have brought so much happiness into our lives for so many years? It just goes to show you can repurpose things to give them a new purpose and it can turn into something meaningful now. I have a feeling this tree isn't going anywhere anytime soon...

Happy Valentines Day Ya'll! Have you ever received or gifted a money tree? Do you like the idea of a tree of love?

Monday, February 3, 2014

Hello All,I've decided to do a series on thrifty finds this year. So set your channel to the first Tuesday of every month for mucho thrifty inspiration plus you can hang around for some other fun posts I have coming up too. To start this series off--Did you hear the news? I was selected by the design team at One Kings Lane to be included in their article DIY - Sitting Pretty. I helped them introduce their Home Decor Resource Guide back in December, where I featured one of my curbside rescues.

I am ecstatic to be included in this article! My chair was hopeless, but now it makes a serious statement. I hope you can check it out.--I find so many inspiring things at the thrift store (and obviously on the curb!)... do you wish you could do that? Maybe you already do it..Well, here's your chance to hopefully be inspired to do a little thing I like to call: Winning with Pennies. Maybe you have these same things and are looking for a way to give them new life. Or maybe I throw an idea out there you have never thought of... Either way, I hope it's an inspiring read. The goal: To get the look for less shopping at thrifty boutiques. (Doesn't that sound nicer?)Frame work: I went into the thrift store looking for any frame that already had a matte for a project I was doing for our upstairs bathroom . It didn't matter if the frame was hot pink or puke green... I was going to paint the frame off white. My adventure finally paid off-- I found a perfectly good black frame with a matte for $4.

I slipped some beautiful fabric I was using for another project under the glass and the result is instant art. The tally: Total savings was probably around $15 - $20.

The perfect addition to our upstairs bathroom.

A warm glow: I found this random white globe thing. I first thought it was a globe for a flush mount light. (maybe like an old school house light?) When I turned it over, I realized it was a candle globe and it had a beautiful mercury finish on the inside. Interestingly, I could not put it back for $4. What do you think?

I gave this beauty a front row spot on our dining room table and it turns out that I love it. It's so warm and inviting at night.Finding light: One of my favorite places to look for lamps is at a thrift store. I like a little feel of vintage and spray paint can really do wonders to some of those throw backs. Pharmacy or masculine desk lamps are definitely making a statement right now. I found this one for my desk for $6.

Finding light again: As luck would have it, I found another lamp that same day. This time it was a white ginger jar lamp (for $7) and a random Threshold lamp shade (for $4) a few feet down that made me actually dance.

Fact: Over the last 2 years, I have found 7 beautifully interesting lamps at thrifty boutique's that all have a place in my home. (And 4 in our beach house.) Sounds like another post for another time...Have you found any lamps at a thrifty boutique? Do you find yourself painting frames? Do you want to see a feature on all my thrift store lamps? Do you get all giggly with excitement when you save money on thrifty finds? I do!From my house to your house, Happy Hunting!

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Meet Holly

I am a full-time mom that has an eye for for all things that make a house a home. In my spare time, I am hunting for the ultimate décor on a budget, making some curbside rescues, and doing exactly what I was meant to do-- one adventure at a time! Email me with questions at HousebyHolly@yahoo.com